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Enjoying Learning and the Holidays

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Posted February 27, 2019

The children greeted us with happy smiling faces, as we asked them about their new tutoring place. They said it was convenient for them to come to and also easy to quickly get home from after class. As only a few children had turned up, we asked them where their friends were. They said some had gone to other villages where relatives live to spend their holidays, and that they would be back by the end of December. We asked to see their teaching plans for 2019, and their teachers said they will give us a schedule of monthly teachings.

We asked the children why the 25th is marked as Christmas Day in the calendar. All the children gave me very good answers, and I told them, “This is a very special day celebrated all over the world—and one of the longest celebrations! Some countries celebrate it for one month as in Sri Lanka, while other countries celebrate it for over one month. No other leaders in history have their birthday celebrated that long. This is something new you have learned today that you can share with your friends and parents.”

Water – Most of the homes have clean drinking water, while other homes collect their drinking water from neighbors. We have been told that this has been going on for many years. The villagers do not have a problem for water.

Food – As this is an agricultural village, many work in paddy fields. The villagers grow various kinds of vegetables and fruit-producing trees at their own homes, and they get food from their own gardens. However, meat products are rarely found in their meals.

Income Generation – Income generation is a problem as villagers face floods and may lose their crops. What they are looking for is to start other businesses that floods cannot destroy, such as small home industries. They tell us that they need some assistance to start these home industries. We asked them for more information on what they intend to do.

Education – We have started the Tamil language class with 28 students. At present, we have two teachers. The reason for this is because there are little ones in the lower classes that need to be taught separately.

Wellness – Many illnesses are home treatable. We will soon be having TCD classes to educate the villages.